50 Facebook Status Update Ideas for Small Businesses

Looking for some ideas on things you can share to your Facebook business Page? I’ve put together a list of 50 Facebook status update ideas for your small business. Check out the examples for each idea. Bookmark this page for when you have a Facebook status update brain fart. Enjoy.

Questionnaires or Polls

Polls and questionnaires are a great way to learn about your fans, or to drive more engagement on your Facebook Page. Make your polls fun by including questions about celebrities or current events.

I use SurveyMonkey to do Facebook polls. Here’s how to use SurveyMonkey to post polls:

Share a Podcast

There a lot of great podcasts on the web that you can listen to for free. Some of my favorites include:

Econtalk.org: It’s like picking up your landline phone, and listening in on a high-level conversation between two incredibly intelligent individuals about some economic concept. Very interesting. Russell Roberts is the host (@econtalker).

Smartpassiveincome.com: This is a great podcast for anyone looking to start something on the side, or is interested in entrepreneurship in general. Pay Flynn is the host (@patflynn)

Mysteriousuniverse.org: If you’re looking for some high quality entertainment look no further than this podcast. It’s a lot like Coast to Coast AM. The hosts talk to people about aliens, weird things happening in the world, and other strange/interesting things.

There are likely a lot of podcasts related to your business or industry. Find some that you think are interesting, and share episodes with your fans.

Pro Tip: Mention the hosts of the podcast in your Facebook post. This will grab their attention, and it might result in some additional publicity for your business.

Click to enlarge.

Share Industry Research or Thoughts

Click to enlarge.

No one knows your business better than you do. Everyday you’re reading a lot of stuff about your industry that your Facebook Fans may find interesting. Take a moment to share some of your findings, and add some personal thoughts to it.

Click to enlarge.

Share a Funny Commercial

Everyone likes to laugh. When you come across a funny commercial consider sharing it with your Fans. They’ll likely find it entertaining as well.

Pro Tip: The Super Bowl is a perfect time for this. Put together a list of your favorite Super Bowl commercials and share it to your Facebook wall. Your Fans will love it.

Click to enlarge.

Answer a Question From Quora

Have you ever heard of Quora? It’s a powerful social network where people ask questions, and answer them. Search on Quora for questions related to your industry. Post a status update answering the question, and post a link to your update as an answer in the Quora thread. People visiting Quora looking for an answer to the question will go to your Facebook Page. This will result in more “Likes”, and traffic to your website.

A better option is to create a blog post answering the question, and link to your blog post in your Quora answer. This approach will drive more traffic to your website. If you need help doing this then check out the example below.

Another benefit of using Quora is many of your Fans will likely have the same question. This will create value for your Fans. Creating value will result in a more active Facebook audience.

Pro Tip: Being one of the first people to answer a question is a huge advantage because more people will see your answer, and vote it up. I used this technique to get a lot of software sign ups for various products.

Check out this example of a Quora post:

Click to enlarge.

How to share this post on your Facebook Page:

Click to enlarge.

Share a Helpful Group

There are a lot of groups on social networks. I personally particpate in Google Plus, and LinkedIn groups. Facebook groups tend to be a little too spammy for me.

Groups are a great place to meet like-minded individuals, and to find interesting things about your industry. If you find a group to be helpful then take a moment to share that group with your Facebook Fans.

Pro Tip: Mention the group leader when possible. Doing this will make the group leader aware that you’re sharing their group. This may result in more visibility for your group, and will also help you create a relationship with an influencer.

Click to enlarge.

Offer a Sneak Peak

Human beings are curious creatures. Build suspense around new things your company is doing. People will love it.

Apple does a great job of this. By building suspense and speculation around new products they drive a significant amount of sales on their launch day. Take a page out of their book, and offer a sneak peak on new things you’re doing on your Facebook Page.

Click to enlarge.

Answer a FAQ

If you’ve ever ran a business then you’ll know that your customers ask a lot of the same questions. This is why software companies generally have a FAQ page.

When you get an interesting question you should consider sharing it, and the answer on your Facebook Page. Fans will appreciate this because many of them will likely have a similar question. You’re adding value.

Pro Tip: Mention the Fan by name (ask their permission first). Doing this will build loyalty with that particular Fan, and other Fans will like how you’re showcasing a customer’s question.

Click to enlarge.

Offer Expert Insight

Human beings are addicted to news. Sometimes the news people are talking about online is related to your industry. If you can provide expert insight on the news then you should consider doing so in a Facebook status update. People will appreciate the additional context you bring to the conversation.

Ask for Predictions

This can be a great way to engage your Fans. Consider asking your Fans who they think will win in a large sporting event like the Super Bowl. You could even ask them who will win in a political race. Don’t insert your opinion…let your Fans duke it out, and enjoy the spike in exposure.

Pro Tip: If you ask a question that’s related to something that is trending on Facebook then your post will be seen by a lot more people.

Click to enlarge.

Post an Unexpected use for Your Product or Service

People love learning new “life hacks”, or things that can make their life a little easier. You know your product or service better than anyone else. Think of some ways your product or service can add value beyond just typical use case scenarios.

Post a Blog Excerpt

Every blog post can be summed up in a few paragraphs. When you write a blog post consider posting an excerpt from it on your Facebook Fan Page. This preview may encourage your Fans to visit the post, and check it out.

Click to enlarge.

Relevant Articles that Pertain to Your Industry or Community

80% of the content you share to your Facebook Fan Page should be from other people. Only 20% should be self-promotional. If you don’t follow this rule then you may come off as narcissistic to your Fans (that’s not a good).

Sharing relevant articles about your industry is a great way to keep Fans informed on what’s going on. If you’re a brick-and-mortar shop then you should consider sharing news about your community. With so many people consuming news off of social networks these days, it can become really easy to miss community news. People will appreciate the updates.

Click to enlarge.

Offers

Consider providing Facebook exclusive offers. This will encourage people to “Like” your Page so they don’t miss any exclusive offers. Have fun with it, and require customers to use secret passwords to unlock the promotion.

Click to enlarge.

Talk About Something Happening That Day

Ever notice how Google’s graphic changes every once and while? If you click on the unique graphic it usually takes you to a Wikipedia page. Google does this to let people know about big news, or to highlight a historical person’s birthday.

For example, Google had a spaceship design for their logo yesterday. This is because a spaceship successfully landed on a meteor for the first time in human history. Pretty amazing news.

We humans have been around for a while now…this means something historic has likely happened every single day of the year. Don’t believe me? Google todays date (just the month and day), and click on the Wikipedia result. Here’s a couple notable events that happened on November 14 (today’s date):

1770 – James Bruce discovered what he believed to be the source of the Nile.

1922 – The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) begins radio service in the United Kingdom.

1967 – American physicist Theodore Maiman is granted a patent for the world’s first laser.

1995 – A standoff between Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Congress leads to a government shutdown of national parks and museums.

Famous people that were born: Mamie Eisenhower, Joseph McCarthy, Condoleezza Rice, Jawaharlal Nehru, Robert Fulton, and Prince Charles.

There is a wealth of great content you could share about any day of the year. You could post something simple like, “John Doe was born today. He’s the inventor of X”. People will like little facts like this.

Click to enlarge.

Post Truth or Fiction Question

A fun way to get Fan engagement is to post a question asking if it’s true or false. Try to use questions that are related to your industry or product.

Click to enlarge.

Random Tip

Random tips can be a great way to get Fan engagement. Try to make them as relevant as possible. For example, if it’s snowing outside you may post a few tips on driving safety. You can also post industry related tips.

Fans will appreciate these tips, and will “like” them. This will lead to new Fans, and greater exposure for your brand.

Click to enlarge.

Weekly Round Up

Have you ever noticed how popular blogs will provide a weekly round up of interesting things they found that week. They do this because people love it.

One of my favorite blogs that does this is Spin Sucks. Every week Gini Dietrich (@ginidietrich) does a round up of her favorite videos, and news for that week. The segment is called, “Gin and Topics”. Check out her post for this week.

You could do a weekly update of things you find interesting in a blog post, and share it to your Facebook Page. Another option is to do a status update of several things you found interesting that week. People will get used to these updates, and will look for them on a weekly basis.

Pro Tip: Whenever possible…mention people who are in the stories you provide in your weekly update.

Click to enlarge.

Thank Your Fans

You can never be too thankful. Take a moment on occasion to thank your Fans. They’ll appreciate it.

Click to enlarge.

Tell a Story

People love stories, and they tend to remember them. Everyone has stories. Whenever you have a fun or interesting story to tell you should consider sharing it with your Fans. They’ll love it.

Click to enlarge.

Pro Tip: If your story causes readers to feel some kind of emotion then the probability that they will share your story will increase.

Recommend Someone Else to “Like”

If you promote other people then they’ll likely promote you. It’s the Golden Rule. When you find someone worth recommending take a moment to let your Fans know about it. They’ll appreciate it.

Click to enlarge.

Ask your Fans for a Content Ideas

As a marketer it’s really easy to think that people want to read the things you’re sharing. This isn’t always the case. If you can’t think of content ideas then you should ask your Fans what they want to see/read. This can be a powerful tool for helping you to create content that adds value to people’s lives.

Click to enlarge.

Photos With Customers

Whenever you get the chance…you should take pictures with customers. Richard Branson does a great job of this. Check out his Facebook Page.

Pro Tip: Ask your customers to “tag” themselves in the photos you take together. This will share the photo with your customer’s friends and will serve as a nonchalant form of word of mouth advertising.

Behind-The-Scenes Photos:

People love access to exclusive things. Facebook did this to get initial users. Rebecca Minkoff used SnapChat to provide an exclusive look at New York Fashion Week’s hottest items.

Your Fans will appreciate the exclusive behind-the-scenes photos of your business. It will make them feel important, and it will provide a human element to your brand.

Statistics

A lot of speeches begin with a bold statistic. The reason speech writers do this is because it captures people’s attention.

Facts are fun. People eat up statistics. When you stumble across statistics that are interesting, and related to your brand then you should consider sharing them with your Fans.

Click to enlarge.

Your Blog Posts

Every business should be blogging. You should be sharing your blog posts on your Facebook Page. Ask your Fans to comment on your blog.

Pro Tip: If you feel like you’re a horrible writer than you should consider doing a podcast, or a simple weekly video shot with your iPhone. Make sure to take the transcript from your podcast/video, and publish it in your blog post. This will give you some extra SEO juice.

Click to enlarge.

Promote Someone Else’s Sale

People love discounts. Groupon built an empire around discounts. When you find a great discount then you should consider sharing it with your Fans. This will add value to their lives. They’ll love you for it, and will come back to your Page frequently looking for more.

Recommend a Tool

There are a lot of great tools available on the web. Many of them are free. When you find a tool that adds value to your life, then you should consider sharing it with your Facebook audience.

Click to enlarge.

Pro Tip: Mention the founders of the tool when possible. They will likely share your post which will get you more exposure.

Fan of the Month

People loved to be recognized. Every month you should consider recognizing a Fan. Come up with some kind of rating system to determine how to become a Fan of the Month. Publish it as a Facebook note, or on your blog.

Recognizing a Fan of the month will convert that Fan to a life-long customer. It will also encourage other Fans to attempt to become the next Fan of the month.

Pro Tip: You should give some award away to your Fan of the month. This will increase the probability that people will try to become the next Fan of the month. Always mention the Fan of the month to increase the exposure of your status update.

Click to enlarge.

Offer a Free E-Book

E-books are all over the web. There are a lot of great free ones too.

Consider producing your own E-Book, and offering it to your Fans. If you don’t have the time or resources to do this then you may consider sharing other people’s e-books that you found interesting or helpful. Remember…always create value for your Fans.

Nostalgic Posts

Do you have any nostalgic memories of your business? Everyone does. These kinds of memories can be great things to share on your Facebook Page.

Pro Tip: If you have any old pictures of your business then you may consider sharing these. People will love to see your progress.

Daily Routine

Everyone has a daily routine. I love learning from all the people I meet. One of the most frequent questions I ask is, “What is your daily routine?”. People love to talk about their daily routine, and you can learn a lot about life from these types of conversations.

Consider sharing your daily routine with your Facebook Fans.

Partner Companies Facebook Pages

Every business works with other companies. Consider promoting your partner companies. This will strengthen your relationship with them, and it is also an opportunity to give your Fans a little behind the scenes on how your business operates.

Infographics

Infographics are a hot thing to share these days. You could consider creating your own infographic or look for infographics related to your industry.

Product Photos

Photos have an 87% interaction rate on Facebook. The next closest type of content is links at 4%.

Link to a Controversial Blog Post

Nothing drives more engagement then content that causes us to feel an emotion. A great way to invoke emotion is to share something controversial. Be careful when doing this because you don’t usually want to take a side, and you don’t want to drive away your Fans either.

Ask for Advice

Are you struggling with something in your business? Ask your Fans for advice. People love to help each other.

Fan Photos

When you have a great product people will create content around it. When a Fan shares a photo related to your product then you should consider re-sharing with your audience. Remember to mention your Fan in your status update.

Videos

Videos automatically play in Facebook newsfeeds. They are becoming a very prominent piece of content on Facebook. Consider creating some videos, and sharing them on your Facebook Page.

Click to enlarge.

Thank Customers For Reviews

As a business, one of your best digital assets is customer testimonials. Whenever you get a new testimonial take a moment to publicly thank the person who wrote it on your Facebook wall. Other Fans will notice, and it will encourage them to create testimonials as well.

Make sure to ask permission before posting a picture of your Fan.

Click to enlarge.

Share Your Other Social Networks

Not everyone prefers to use Facebook. Some of your Fans may be a lot more active on other social networks. You should share all of the social networks you’re currently on with your Fans. When you join a new one let your Fans know.

Click to enlarge.

Ask a Question

Like statistics, questions are usually one of the first things you hear in a speech. This is because questions capture people’s attention.

Ask your Fans questions on Facebook. It’s a fun way to get people talking, and a great way to learn about new things.

Share Company Milestones

Your Fans are eager to hear about your success. Whenever you hit a milestone you should celebrate it, and share your celebration with your Fans on Facebook. They want to celebrate with you.

Click to enlarge.

Contests

Contests are a great way to generate engagement. When we were consulting Congressman Chris Stewart we did a Facebook essay contest. The winner got to have dinner with Glenn Beck.

A ton of essays were submitted, and Stewart’s Facebook engagement skyrocketed.

Think about contests you could run, and always offer a compelling prize.

Click to enlarge.

Upcoming Events

Help your Fans stay in the loop by letting them know about upcoming events. They’ll appreciate the heads up.

Click to enlarge.

Caption Contests

Have an awkward photo somewhere? Share it with your Fans and have a caption contest. Ask your Fans to create a caption for the photo.

The reason this works so great for engagement is every Fan that submits a caption will make the thread visible to their friends. This increases the reach of your post, and can be a fun activity for your Fans too.

Encourage Check-Ins

People can check-in on Facebook when they visit places. When someone checks into a place the check-in gets shared with their friends.

This is a great way to stimulate word of mouth for your company. Offer discounts to customers who check-in on Facebook.

Seasonal Content

There are holidays happening all the time. Take care to create specific content for each holiday. Try to relate the holiday to your brand.

Random Interesting Trivia

People love trivia. When you find trivia that is related to your brand then you should consider sharing it to your Facebook Page.

Can you think of any status update ideas that we missed? Please comment below.